EPA's Regional Haze Program

EPA and other Agencies have been monitoring
visibility in
national parks and wilderness areas since 1988. In 1999,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major
effort
to improve air
quality in
national
parks
and
wilderness areas. The Regional Haze Rule calls for state
and federal agencies to work together to improve visibility
in
156
national parks and wilderness areas such as the Grand
Canyon, Yosemite, the Great Smokies and Shenandoah.

The rule requires the states, in coordination with the Environmental
Protection Agency, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other interested
parties, to develop and implement air quality protection plans
to reduce the pollution that causes visibility impairment.
The first State plans for regional haze are due in the 2003-2008
timeframe. Five multi-state regional
planning organizations are working together now to develop
the technical basis for these plans.

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